In a manufacturing process for a semiconductor device, a fine pattern is formed by a photolithography method. In forming the fine pattern, a large number of transfer masks are generally used. In order to form a finer pattern in the semiconductor device, there is a need to form a finer mask pattern in each of the transfer masks. Besides, there is also a need to use an exposure light source having a shorter wavelength in photolithography. In recent years, an ArF excimer laser (wavelength: 193 nm) has been increasingly applied to an exposure light source at the time of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
The transfer mask generally has a configuration of including a thin film having a transfer pattern on a transparent substrate. In Patent Document 1, there is a disclosure of a photomask (transfer mask) in which a molybdenum silicide (MoSi)-based material is applied to a thin film. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in recent years, it has been found that a MoSi-based film has low fastness to ArF excimer laser exposure light (so-called “ArF light fastness”).
Meanwhile, in Patent Document 2, there is a disclosure of a phase shift mask including a SiNx phase shift film, and in Patent Document 3, there is described that a phase shift film formed of a SiN-based material has been confirmed to have high ArF light fastness. Further, in Patent Document 4, there is a disclosure of a defect repair technology involving, while supplying a xenon difluoride (XeF2) gas to an opaque defect portion of a light-shielding film, irradiating the opaque defect portion with an electron beam to etch the opaque defect portion, to thereby remove the opaque defect portion (such defect repair performed through irradiation with charged particles, such as an electron beam, is hereinafter referred to simply as “EB defect repair”).